Junior Animation student Emily Jagiello recalls her experience attending the 2025 Ottawa International Film Fest.
Though I was unsure what to expect, I am nothing but grateful that I had the opportunity to go with Villa Maria to the Ottawa International Animation Festival! The festival, or OIAF, was an incredibly educational and rewarding experience. Here are some of the highlights from my trip!
I was initially nervous, going out of the country and spending time away from home was something I was pretty worried about, but the experience was painless! Once our six-hour bus ride (filled with fun animated films, of course) had completed, as a group we dropped our things in the hotel and went to pick up our passes together.
Once that was done, we had the weekend to ourselves! My roommates and I decided to hit up the four-story shopping center only two blocks from our room, and we spent a good amount of time having fun, socializing, and finding cute things to bring back home with us. That night, we attended the “Salon de Refusee,” or the Refusal Party, to celebrate all of the wonderful animators and creators that had applied to be, but were not featured in the festival this year. The work was incredible! We were left wondering how even such beautiful animation could be turned away, and hopeful that one day we could create something worthy of being “refused.”
On Friday, we took it a bit slower. Knowing that we would have the chance to attend the Animator’s Picnic (sponsored by Netflix), we spent time getting ready to enjoy our day at the park surrounded by other artists. Before we left, I packed my OIAF tote with all of the essentials, drawing supplies, my sketchbook, and my iPad with the QR code for my website. We had intended on taking the double decker shuttle to the park, but upon arriving at the stop for the bus, we had come to learn alongside other animators that the bus would be 50 minutes behind!
We thought it was funny, as at the same time we received this, news nearly eight yellow school buses arrived to pick up high schoolers in attendance. The OIAF volunteer suggested that we could walk to the park, as it was about a 20-minute walk from where we were, so a large herd of animators was led to the park.
I wasn’t prepared to walk that much, but I don’t regret it one bit! My roomies and I had the amazing opportunity to meet and chat with an artist who was sponsored by the festival to come and participate in the weekend, as something she had worked on was up for awards. It was so interesting hearing her perspective and getting to know someone who has found success in this field. The picnic was lots of fun! After our walk, I was eager to take a seat and get some water, but we had the chance to meet lots of students studying animation from all over the Northeast US and Canada. There was a pumpkin carving contest, where an absolutely adorable owl won first place, and we all had a great time.
That night, we went to the “rave” that was hosted by OIAF, and the crowd was so much bigger! The place was packed and bumping, everyone cutting loose and having fun tearing up the dancefloor with each other. I had made a few student friends from around the world, and we all met up on the dancefloor that night to tear up the town. Even our professors joined in the dancing, it was incredible just to see everyone open up and enjoy themselves.
Saturday, I woke up early all by myself and decided to trek to the Arts Center. That day was the “animation exposee,” where tons of different schools and companies that are involved in the animation industry come to talk to people and network. With my trusty tote in tow, I made my way through the streets of Ottawa until I found the Arts Center. Upon walking into the expo room, my eyes lit up from all of the different people and things I would get to learn about. My favorite interaction I had that day was at the booth for Brown Bag Studios. An incredible concept artist was showing off her portfolio to the recruiters, and I couldn’t help but watch over her shoulder and gush. Her art is so in line with what I love, and what I want my work to reflect, so once she finished her review, I tapped on her shoulder to tell her how blown away I was by her work. The recruiter could tell we had a lot in common, and so she handed us two notepads and told us:
”“I can tell that this is going to be a good connection for you both. Why don’t you guys take these and head over to that table and get to know our animators?”
As she said this, she gestured back at a small group of people laughing and chatting, so we both eagerly thanked her and made our way back to the group. We were greeted by them, and were asked to sit with them by a really friendly and cheerful 2D Rigging Artist on their team. I then had the absolute pleasure of watching my new friend get her work really positively reviewed, with great constructive critique. Then the animator and I talked for a while about 2D rigging and my interest in it, and what I could use for a demo reel if I was interested in going into that type of animation for my career. We connected on Istagram, and I’m really pleased that I had the opportunity to meet someone who is working in this career I love. That night was our final bigger event with the festival, which was a “Drink and Draw” night, featuring live models in cosplay outfits. It was so fun! Though I didn’t drink, it was fun to be around friends from school, and new friends I had made that weekend and have a fun, but casual time drawing together.
I could go on and on about my experience in Ottawa, but all in all, it was an absolutely amazing experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything. I learned so much, tried so much, and met so many cool people who all share a common love for my favorite art medium. I highly suggest all animators try to go at least once in their life, and hope that I will get to spend the next trips I can take through Villa learning and growing even more.
